Saturday, March 31, 2007

On Astrology, Chasity & Women: Still Relevant?

On Astrology, Chasity & Women: Still Relevant?
mumin@yahoo.com

4:43 AM 03/21/2007 Wed

Recently my colleague, astrologer Chris Brennan, wrote and published an essay dealing with Synchronicity and our Astrology, how the two interact with each other. While mine doesn't deal with this issue per se, it's interesting that I would see it at a time when I find myself in, no surprise to those who know me, right back in the crosshairs as a result of some of my writings with regard to Marriage, Love, Relationships and the role of the Sexes in it all. Synchronicity as I understand it, means the occurance of meaningful coincidences, meaningful to the observer of course. For me, all of this goes down as Society bears witness to the major developments occuring on all of the aforementioned fronts. I've taken up several of these issues and their astrological implications in previous essays. But in this essay, I would like to zero-in on the specific question of whether Chasity - and I'm speaking with specific regard to Women here - is not only astrologically linked/reflected, but is still relevant in our Brave New World.

We read in the ancient classical works of Vedic astrology, entire chapters and sections devoted to what is known as "Stri Jatak" - simply stated "Astrology for Women". While its verses point out that what obtains in the charts of women can also be applied to men, it also takes special pains to lay out specific combinations bearing on the chasity of women, whether a particular woman is more or less likely to have what the Indians, even today, refer to as "loose morals". For example, two combinations bear mention in this regard; Kuja Dosha, the "Blemish of Mars", a combination that denotes marital misery, even early death of the spouse, is one such formula. Although it's equally applied to both men's and women's charts, I stick to the dictum that its original intent and focus was on WOMEN'S charts, not only because of the potential for the early death of a husband, but so too, of the potential of certain House placements of Mars in a woman's chart that could incline her towards certain kinds of behavior that could prove problematic when it comes to the question of Marriage, something that Indians, even today in a time when rapid change is taking place on the subcontinent, take very, very seriously.

Mars placed in the 1st, 4th, or 8th House of a woman's chart gives specific cause for concern in the mind of a classically trained jyotishi, because these positions give specific indications that the flames of Martian passion might suggest that the woman so having them could be inclined to sexual behavior that might turn away marital prospects; in other words, not only are such combinations suggestive of overall marital discord and premature death of the spouse, but they also could suggest an "unchaste woman" as well.

Another combination, to be found in the South Indian Jyotish work (and it must be also said that Kuja Dosha was and for the most part still is, South Indian in its origin) Jatak Parijat, states that in a chart if Venus, Mars and Saturn are involved with both 4th and 7th Houses, the native becomes a profligate. Now, it doesn't specifically refer to women here, and indeed, such a combination can obtain and resultant behavior seen in the lives of men as well; but jyotishis watchout for such combinations more closely in the charts of women than they do for men. And my own direct observation and experience, over nearly a decade of the most intense study of Vedic astrology, seems to bear this out, that these combinations have more import in the charts of women over men.

To the ears of a 21st Century Westerner, especially those who happen to be Women, all of this sounds at best quaint, at worst sexist, and - dare I say it?-"misogynistic". For most, the very basis upon which Vedic astrology is supposed to rest is anathema to a Westerner, because Fate and Karma are concepts that puts the person on the receiving end of Life's events and actions, while everything about the Western World is the direct opposite.

So let's consider the way in which Western astrology looks at this issue, that of Chasity with regard to Women.

In the days of Lilly it wasn't at all unusual to find similar writings by astrologers of the day that also spoke to this question, suggesting that this is much more than a Eastern cultural oddity or concern - and indeed, much of the focus of the Feminist Movement in recent years has been to bring its message to such far flung places as India and Pakistan.

In Western Astrology, the Sexual Planets are Venus, Mars and Pluto; any two of these planets coming togther to form an aspect, can be considered a Sexual Aspect. For women, Venus-Mars and Venus-Pluto pairings become very important, because they seem to "work" more with regard to the Fairer Sex than the latter combination, Mars-Pluto. The aforementioned aspects are powerful enough - but when all three planets come together in some way, it's what the Magi Society refers to as a Super Sexual Aspect - and trust me, after reviewing literally hundreds of charts over the years in this regard, it's no joke. Especially for women.

Why do I say that? Because only roughly a third of all women have such aspects (Sexual Aspects in general, and the SSA in particular), versus some two thirds of all men (Venus-Mars and Venus-Pluto "work" on men, as well as Mars-Pluto and Mars-Uranus). Just about every woman who broke the boundaries of what was considered "chaste" for a woman had Sexual Aspects, if not Super Sexual Aspects, in her chart - Monica Lewinsky, Madonna, Anais Nin, Virginia Wolfe, and so on. Many of the women cited are considered heroines of the Feminist Movement.

Here at home, some 35 years on from the passages of the planets Uranus and Pluto through the Sign of Libra, our sexual attitudes have changed indeed; no longer is the unwed mother, divorce (for either sex) or a "lady of the evening" the stuff of whispered scandal. The linchpin of said movement was the inherent "oppression" Marriage and "the Patriarchy" represented, and it needed radical (Uranus) change, at its most fundamental level (Pluto). Women were not only encouraged, but in some cases were almost intimidated into "exploring" their sexual selves in ways over the years that now "the Hooking Up" culture is pervasive as a result. Many of my colleagues would probably welcome such a change, a good number proudly self-identifying as supporters of the Feminist Surge in the name of putting to bed stale old notions of chasity and "patriarchy".

All of this, of course, begs the question - but what of the Double Standard? You know, the supposed inherent hypocritical fact that men have enjoyed the ability to sow their wild oats with little or no social censure or rebuke. Why is it that men can (seemingly) get away with such things, but women, until very recently, couldn't? This is a very interesting question, and one that needs revisiting, in light of the Signs of the Times, some 3 decades on from the "Second Wave"; and implicit in the question lies one of the fundaments of Feminist-inspired philosophy - that men and women are intrinsically the same, a new spin on the old saw "what's good for the goose, should also be good for the gander". Right?

The answer is both simple and very profound - Paternity. Until very, very recently in Human history, a man never really knew for sure if he was the father of a child he supposedly sired with a woman; for the most part, men had to take women at their word when she said "it's yours". This fact is due not to "socially constructed" role playing, but to Biology - the biological fact that since women are the ones who bear the children, her maternity is never in doubt; we've all heard the old saying "Mama's baby, Papa's maybe" right? And it is this undeniable biological fact that presents a real problem to Feminists everywhere, and for our discussion, particularly those in our astrological ranks who fancy themselves as such or in-league with.

Why does this present such a problem, in our Age? Again, the answer is both simple yet profound - because all manner of study, time after time, again and again, shows that those kids who have dads involved tend to do far better in Life than those without. So having a guy invested, emotionally, and financially, is key in raising well adjusted children into adults, especially if they are male children. My colleagues will invariably say that there are many single moms who do just well with kids on their own, and I would agree. But for the most part, they are in the distinct minority, according to virtually every sociological study - for the most part, kids coming from such homes are largely absent from the elite college rolls, or for that matter, the elite lower grade schools, and when they do go on to college and the like, they tend to be lower-tier. Kids from such arrangements tend to be in trouble more, including of the criminal sort, and so on. Being a gal with a reputation is a strong discouraging factor in most men's minds when it comes to wife and mate selection.

What does all this have to do with the way in which we astrologers, and perhaps more importantly, Women, see themselves? Well, it has to do with a word Feminists love and another which, by the way they act, seem to barely know - Choice and Consequence. One invariably, follows the other. The two are linked.

A woman with such strong Sexual Aspects as we know them in Western astrology of course, in our days and times, has every right to act on those aspects as much as she likes - she has the right to choose. But in so doing, there may be grave consequences. For example, let's say that in exercising her choices in this way she happens to get pregnant - by someone who might not be the best in daddy material. In our era, she of course has the right to raise the child alone, but in so doing, the consequences set in motion from the moment she decides to act on her Sexual Aspects dictates that, all things being equal, her child is much more likely to live a life of poverty and all that it brings in its wake than those who come from intact two parent, mom-and-dad environments.

Well, some of my colleagues would say, with birth control and abortion available as options, she need not ever worry about an unwanted pregnancy - and she can still be able to fulfill her sexual needs and potential as any man could. And that's true, but they again would miss a key point. Although modern medical science has solved the age old mystery of paternity, the very real dangers of back alley abortions and unwanted pregnancy, it hasn't solved the what I call "Male Evolutionary Psychological" problem - and that I mean this...

That most men in American Society, even today, aren't very enthusiastic about the idea of marrying a woman who is just a bit too familiar with the fellas shouldn't come as a surprise. Astrologically speaking, the horoscope of the United States clearly explains it - Mars rules the 5th House in Gemini (multiple daddies) and is square Neptune in the 9th in Virgo (the Virgin, hmm), suggesting that as time goes on this issue regarding Paternity is very likely to wind up in the courts, possibly going all the way to the Supreme Court. You can call that sexist (even misogynistic) reactionary hypocrisy if you like, but to the minds of most men - and keep in mind, this just didn't come out of thin air, but rather hundreds, if not thousands of years of trial and error - a woman with such a track record ain't exactly the most trustworthy person in the world, at least when it comes to the prospect of being religiously, legally and socially yoked to such a person obstensibly for Life. Despite all of the "consciousness raising" efforts, re-education campaigns and sensitivity training that has been visited on the male species over the past nearly 4 decades, the fact remains that when push comes to shove, even in the face of DNA daddy testing, there's no line of good men forming to marry Be-Be and take her Kids as his own. And despite the politically correct language that "it's not the sperm donor that defines the Dad, but the man who raises the kid" the reality shows us something a bit different - which I find as a most powerful irony in our Age of the Genome.


As the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same - despite the advent of DNA testing, Paternity is still very much a powerful issue and concern for men, and the recent events that have become news headlines give witness to this. Perhaps one of the most notable cases in recent times, has to be that of the late Anna Nicole Smith, who died last month leaving behind an infant daughter and an enormous drama concerning who her baby's daddy is; at last count, well over 10 men stepped up willing to take the test, among them Zsa-Zsa Gabor's husband.

At the time of Smith's passing, I wrote an article detailing what I think her birthtime might be, based on the events of her life and other details. But regardless of her birthtime, the Western astrology clearly shows that Smith was born with Saturn=Venus/Pluto, for which the famed astrologer and founder of the Cosmobiology school in Germany, Reinhold Ebertin, simply states "immorality" in his monumental classic "Combination of Stellar Influences". In my rectification of her chart, I suggested that Venus, which was placed in Libra and is Peregrine (Tyl), rules the 5th House of Sex and Children, disposing of the Asc ruling Moon in Libra as well. Venus is quindecile Saturn, ruling the 7th House, and Saturn in turn, is quindecile Pluto in the 4th. All of these planets are linked quite powerfully, and the Venus position in association with the 5th House in my view, suggests strongly that sex will be used as a strategy to get where she wants to go in life.

In her Vedic chart, again based on my rectification time, we see the principles mentioned earlier coming through very clearly. Venus is both in the 4th House and also debilitated, and this condition is repeated in the Navamsa chart. Saturn is placed in the 10th House in aspect to both Venus, the 4th House, and also the 7th House. And Mars is exalted in Capricorn, placed in the 8th House - a powerful Kuja Dosha - while Saturn disposes of Mars, and Mars in turn rules the Naksatra that Venus sits in. Please note that in both charts, Western and Vedic, the 5th House has a "cloud" over it, in the Western Neptune in the 5th, in the Vedic Ketu in the 5th. Such placements are often the case when paternity is in question.

Another very interesting situation taking place right now in our popular culture serves as a prima facia example of this. "Maury" is a hugely popular daytime TV talkshow starring Maury Povich, who before this show began was perhaps best known for being "Mr. Connie Chung". Although his shows deal with all the usual daytime TV talk fare, without question his most popular ones deal with "Who My Baby Daddy?" themes. In fact, one of my best friends, and a great astrologer in his own right, Zamani "Zam" Feelings, has even put together some 2 dozen of such shows, stringed together into one long montage of "You're NOT the Father!", complete with footage of the accused men's victory dances. There is one show (or I should say, series of shows) in particular that I will never forget.

The woman was named Marisol, and she had tested some TEN MEN to determine the paternity of her, I think it was three kids - and when all this first started, her youngest child was still an infant. One by one, show after show, the men were brought in and tested; "You're NOT the Father!" was heard again and again. At one point, because one of the man in question was no longer alive, his next of kin were brought in for testing - nada. Finally, after nearly a dozen men tested and not a daddy in sight, Marisol triumphantly said "I'll be both mother and father to my children; I'll do it myself", to which the crowd cheered. On some level, I couldn't blame Marisol for portraying a stiff upper lip on camera, afterall there were no signs of any of the men tested willing to stick around to help out with her kids. Even Maury, whom by now having done so many such shows probably thought that he had seen it all, was dumbfounded. No one questioned, even once, Marisol about her decisions, and the very delicate spot it puts her children in.

I have never seen Marisol's chart but all of my astrological instincts tells me that she has some very strong Sexual Aspects in it. But perhaps beyond that, I'm also quite certain that many of my astrological colleagues, perhaps a majority of them, would at best be very reluctant to question Marisol about her "choices", if not give out and out support for Marisol's decision to be both a mom and a dad to her kids on her own (all of whom, if memory serves, were sired by different dads).

While many of my colleagues could argue that hers is such an isolated case, I know for a fact that it's not as far fetched as it might seem; and for those who mutter under their breath "there goes Mu'Min moralizing again" I'm merely asking the question - what are some of the realworld consequences of getting rid of the so-called "Double Standard"? And is there still a place for "Chasity" in our Brave New World?

Perhaps Sidney Poitier, the gentlemanly Oscar award winning actor said it best, some 40 years ago in the film "To Sir, With Love", during a scene in which he lays down some of the ground rules to his class of incorrigible East End kids in London; he tells the girls that no man wants a slut for long - and only the worst kind will marry one.

Someone should have told that to Marisol.

Would you?

Comments?

Salaam,Mu

How Astrology Could Have Cracked The Duke Lacrosse Sex Scandal Case

How Astrology Could Have Cracked The Duke Lacrosse Sex Scandal Case
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

5:14 AM 03/10/2007 Sat

It's been a year since one of the biggest scandals ever to hit an American univeristy took place. On Mar 13 2006, Crystal Gail Mangum, an African American stripper, accused three White male Duke Univeristy students of beating and gang-raping her during a party where she was hired to entertain the three men and their friends for the night. The allegations was one of the biggest stories of 2006, igniting a firestorm of controversey surrounding themes of privilege, race, sex and class. But shortly after the charges against the three students were filed, questions about Mangum's alleagations began to emerge; by year's end, the charges were dropped against the accused, with Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong being investigated for possible prosecutorial mistconduct and willfully witholding key evidence that could have exonerated the accused - it appears that Mangum's story was totally false, and, evidence shows from DNA testing, that not only were any of the men accused involved in raping her, but that there was evidence that Mangum had been involved with several other men prior to the events of Mar 13. The case serves as a learning experience for us all, in light of this being Women's History Month.

How can Astrology be helpful in such a case? Some of my colleagues might argue that it can't; others may suggest that, if the charts of the parties involved are known, that might provide some clues. I would like to make the proposition that the Horary Method is the way to go - and I give as prima facia evidence, the words of the great William Lilly.

In his monumental classic, Christian Astrology, Lilly gives a horary that has to do with whether a "Rumor be true"; on page 200, he gives his analysis:
"A Report that Cambridge was Taken by the King's Forces; if true?"

Question background: "In the yeer 1643, His Majesties Army being then Rampant, severall Reports were given out, that his Majesty had taken Cambridge, &c. a wel-affected person enquires of me, if the newes were true or false? Whereupon I erected the Figure ensuing, and gave Judgment: All that we heard was untruth, and that the Towne neither was, or should be taken by Him or his Forces."

This is the 7th horary question from "Christian Astrology", page 200
Horary chart data: April 21, 1643 NS, 4:29 pm GMT, London (00w10, 51n30; 4 Lib 47, using Placidus Houses)

"First, I considered that the Angles were all moveable, and that Mars did vitiate the cusp of the 10th, and Saturn the cusp of the 7th, one argument the Report was false.

Secondly, I found the Moon cadent, and in Gemini, a Signe wherein she nothing delights; a second strong evidence of a false rumor.

Thirdly, I found North Node on the cusp of the Ascendant, a Signe of good to the Parliment, for the 1st house signified that honorable Society: I found Venus Lady of the Ascendant, and our Significatrix, in her Exaltation; but Mars, Lord of our Enemies Ascendant, viz. the 7th, entering his Fall, viz. Cancer, and afflicted by Square of Saturn; I saw the Moon seperating from Jupiter, placed in the 7th and transferring his light and virtue to Venus, which gave me reason to expect, that there would come good to us or our side from this report or Rumour, and no benefit to our Enemies: I saw Mars and Saturn in a Square, which assured me our Enemies were so full of division and treason, and thwarting one anothers Designes, that no good should come unto them upon this Report; and so in short, I judged Cambridge was not taken, and what we heard of its taking were lyes."

It is quite clear here that Lilly is basing his judgment in the main on the condition of the 7th House and its ruler, which represents the King and his armies; being in Fall, (Mars ruling the 7th) and approaching square to Saturn, a first rate Malefic, Lilly then takes the rumor he hears to be false (and we can take this analysis a step further - note the Mutual Reception between Mars and Saturn, making matters even worse for the King's men). Lilly additionally notes that Venus, which rules the Asc and the Parliament of Britain at the time, to be stronger than the King and his men, for Venus is exalted in Pisces. It's an open-and-shut case.

Taking a modern approach to this horary, we can easily see that Neptune is in the 3rd House - Mercury and the 3rd represent rumors - and Neptune's presence here only means that you can't believe what you hear. The ruler of the 3rd House is Pluto, itself only recently opposing Neptune, suggesting again a false report. Mercury's presence in the 7th and conjunct Jupiter, could give one the impression that the rumor could be true; however, we have to keep in mind that the dispositor of both Mercury and Jupiter is Mars, which as earlier noted, is in Fall and in harsh applying aspect to Saturn. Again, it's an open-and-shut case.

So the horary done by Lilly definitely gives us some clues and direction as to how to correctly judge if an allegation, report or charge is indeed true - but, there is no "Querent" in the Duke case - no one came forward to pose the question to an astrologer, at least as far as I know. How then, to proceed?

The answer to this question lies in the book "The Moment of Astrology" by Geoffrey Corneilus, a deeply profound British Horary practitioner. He suggests that Astrology's true purpose is as a tool of divining meaning of the world's events and happenings "in the moment". His book and its premise is a very interesting departure from all of the more humanistic and psychologically oriented astrological literature that has been so pervasive over the past few decades, and repays close study by the astrologer.

In the spirit of "The Moment of Astrology" then, I would like to propose the following chart based on the Duke Lacrosse case, as a way to see whether the allegations made by Mangum were indeed true or false:

Duke Lacrosse Sex Scandal "Horary" Tue Mar 14 2006 1.30AM EST Durham NC; Placidus 22 Sag 48, Wikipedia

This data is based on a timeline of events given in Wikipedia and orginally compiled by Duke's school newspaper staff. At 1.30AM, a police officer was called to a Kroger market, where Mangum and her fellow stripper were out in the parking lot having an argument in the other stripper's car; Mangum refused to get out. When the police officer arrived at the scene, he said that she didn't need medical attention, but was just drunk. A short time after he arrived, other police arrived on the scene, at which point Mangum was then taken to Duke hospital, and it was at this point she makes the allegation that she was raped. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I think this map is a telling testimony of the night's events, and Mangum's ultimate lie about her being raped. Consider the following:

1. Sagittarius rises on the Asc - a college campus - with Pluto in the Asc, conjunct the Asc (Sex, Rape) and in Mutual Reception with Jupiter, the Lord of the Ascendant, in Scorpio and placed in the 11th House (11th traditionally associated with Aquarius - the one of the Signs that represents the legs, the others being Capricorn and for our purposes here, Sagittarius; "exotic dancing"). Although there are many other features of this chart that contribute to its radicality, these alone point to the efficacy of this map, and its fitness to give witness as to the true nature of the night's events. It certainly describes the situation as we all know it.

2. Mercury, representing Mangum, rules the Gemini 7th (more than one story, "the Trickster") and is not only in Fall in Pisces, but is also Rx to boot!-and in the 3rd House of Rumors & Lies. Note that, as is the case in the Lilly "Rumor" horary, Neptune again is involved in the 3rd House, and note that with Mercury and Jupiter having made a trine to each other, that there was indeed contact between her and the Duke students; but with Jupiter's applying square to Neptune, it wasn't rape as Mangum initially charged. The heavy influence of alcohol and/or drugs is evident as well, as seen in the strong accents on Pisces and Neptune with regard to the ruler of the 7th, again, representing Mangum.

3. We can also note the Moon's position in this "horary" - it's Cadent, in a Mutable Sign, Peregrine (classically) and opposes its dispositor who is Fallen. The Moon is in the 9th, a derivative 3rd House for the 7th, Mangum; this weakened Lunar position here confirms that her rape allegations were false. Again, note the position of the Moon in Lilly's "Rumor" horary. Hmm.

Concluding Thoughts
It is clear from all of this that Horary can and should be consulted when such grave matters such as these come up; as is usually the case with Astrology, so often it can zero-in on matters in ways that other means of investigation has yet to do, even in our Age of technological sophistication. A final thought is in order - last year, around the time the Duke case first broke, I wrote a piece about this within the larger context of Eve Ensler's work and life, "The Vagina Monologues". I suggested then that one of the dark sides of the Feminist Era was the rampant abuse of power that many women today enjoy. All it takes for a woman to wreck a man's life is to accuse him of abuse and/or rape, and even if eventually proven to be false, the damage to that man's good name will have been done. Already one of the Duke students accused had to dropout due to the scandal, and it's hard to see how any of the accused will be able to live down the "judgment" of the Court of Public Opinion. Although it is truly disturbing, it is sadly not surprising that none of the Women's Movement's loudest voices, are so coldly silent on these and other matters. With Women's History Month upon us, this sad tale should give us all in general, and women in particular, something to seriously think about.

Special thanks to the good folks over at AstrologyWeekly.com for the info on Lilly's "Rumor" horary.

Salaam,Mu